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From YouTube: This Week in Ames
Description
Finance Director Duane Pitcher talks budget and how to put your two cents in.
A
B
A
B
Does
seem
a
little
early,
but
we
do
like
to
get
all
the
input
and
we
need
departments
to
also
get
input
and
put
all
that
information
together
and
we
certify
the
budget
to
collect
taxes
by
March
fifteenth
of
every
year.
And
we
like
to
do
a
little
prior
to
that
in
case.
We
need
to
make
some
changes
so,
just
shortly
after
the
first
of
March
will
be
certifying
the
budget.
So
we
need
to
be
well
along
and.
A
B
Do
would
there
are
several
opportunities
that
next
one
will
be
coming
up?
Is
the
CIP
which
will
be
in
mid-january.
That's
a
capital
improvement
plan
and,
though,
there's
two
sessions,
one
where
we
presented
to
the
council
and
at
the
same
time
then
it
becomes
available
at
the
internet
for
all
the
the
public
to
see
it.
We
also
have
paper
copies
available
and
then
the
following
week.
Well
we'll
actually
have
a
public
hearing
on
the
capital
improvement
plan,
so
January's
a
busy
time.
B
A
Recently,
department,
like
parks
and
recreation,
had
a
public
input
for
their
CIP,
specifically
because
they
do
a
lot
of
activities
that
the
public
probably
is
interested
in,
and
we
mentioned
the
town
budget
meeting
as
well.
When
people
don't
have
to
wait
till
January
to
comment.
Obviously
they
could
write
in
at
any
point
if
they
had
something
of
interest.
Absolutely.
B
They
can
always
write
to
the
mayor
and
council
a
park
and
Rex
a
good
example.
They
can
write
to
the
park
and
Rec
director
the
park
and
rec
Commission
specifics
on
streets.
You
would
go
to
the
public
works
department.
So
there's
a
you
know,
opportunities,
obviously
through
the
entire
year
to
give
input
and
what
you
want
more
/,
less
of
and
where
you'd
like
changes
in
our
services.
So.
A
B
Dollars
it
can
vary
quite
a
bit,
but
you
know
in
the
200
million
dollar
range
and
a
lot
of
its
capital
improvements
that
are
in
there.
But
you
know
that's
going
to
drive
it
a
lot.
We
have
some
big
projects
coming
up
with
water
plant
and
also
with
the
electric
plant
so
that
that
can
vary,
but
we,
you
know,
plan
that
out,
obviously
over
five
years
and
try
to
level
things
out
so.
A
B
About
half
the
funding
comes
as
fees
for
services
and
the
bulk
of
that
are
the
fees
we
pay
for
the
utilities
as
we
use
them
so
water
electric.
As
we
talk,
that's
our
largest
wrong
wastewater
storm
sewer.
You
don't
really
use
it,
but
you
pay
a
fee
I.
Could
you
know
make
sure
that
the
store
Marta
gets
taken
away
in
an
orderly
fashion
and
those
are
the
big
ones?
B
There's
also
user
fees
for
some
of
our
Park
and
Rec
activities
and
things
like
building
permits,
but
that's
the
biggest
chunk
at
about
fifty
percent,
then
property
taxes
which
are
I,
think
pretty
evident
for
our
brother
knows
property
or
if
you
rant
here
indirectly
paying
property
taxes.
That's
another
pretty
big
chunk.
So.
A
B
That's
correct:
it
covers
several
different
areas,
the
the
biggest
of
which
is
the
Ames
school
district.
Second
biggest
would
be
the
city,
then
there's
the
county,
the
community
college
and
then
there's
some
very
small
pieces
after
that.
But
the
city
of
Ames
makes
up
about
a
third
of
that
bill.
Okay,.
A
B
Local
option
sales
tax
that
split
a
couple
different
ways:
sixty
percent
of
that
goes
to
reduce
your
property
taxes
and
the
other
forty
percent
is
for
an
area
called
community
betterment
and
that's
arts,
Human
Services
and
various
capital
improvements.
Some
of
the
more
obvious
ones
would
be
like
improvements
to
parks.
Those
come
from
that
area,
so.
A
B
One
there's
a
school
Local,
Option
text,
that's
statewide
now,
but
it's
if
you're
in
storey,
County
it's
a
seven
percent
tax.
One
percent
goes
to
the
city.
It
actually
goes
divided
up
with
all
the
communities
in
the
county,
but
that's
a
pretty
good
source
of
revenue
and
one
that
can
you
know,
go
up
and
down
with
the
economy,
another
fairly
large
source
for
us
or
grants.
One
of
the
biggest
areas
is
for
cyride,
I,
think
you're,
obviously
pretty
familiar
with
the
way.
That's
funded
part
of
its
property
tax
is
the
biggest
part
of
it.
B
A
A
B
Percent
or
so
that
I
mentioned
that
we
r
user
fees
that
funds
those
activities
so
electric
water,
stormwater
sewer
that
sort
of
thing
is
all
funded
through
those
fees,
inspections,
that's
funded
through
fees,
then
there's
other
things
that
don't
really
lend
themselves
to
fees
like
police
and
fire,
the
parks.
We
don't
charge
admission
to
parks,
they're
free.
If
you
were
the
person
that
had
the
fire
or
the
150
or
so
that
have
a
fire
and
you
have
to
divide
up
the
cost
of
the
fire
service
that
would
be
pretty
expensive.
B
A
B
An
enterprise
can
be
run
up
on
its
own,
more
or
less
so.
For
example,
the
water
plant
runs
off
its
own
revenues,
has
its
own
expenses
and
has
their
own
balance
sheet
on
financial
statements
and
and
that's
a
pure
enterprise.
There's
some
other
activities
that
we
treat
like
an
enterprise.
A
couple
would
be
like
the
Homewood
golf
course,
so
their
revenue
covers
all
their
operating
costs,
though
we
will
put
in
some
other
funding
for
capital
improvements.
Ice
Arena
is
another
good
example.
B
A
B
A
B
It
starts
out
at
mid-january,
like
I
mentioned,
with
public
hearing
on
the
capital
improvement
plan.
Well,
first
is
presented
council
than
a
public
hearing
and
then
on
the
thirtieth
of
January.
That's
the
date
where
I'll
go
over
the
entire
budget.
That's
on
a
Friday
afternoon
with
the
council.
We
don't.
B
Is
very
long
meeting,
but
it's
it's
the
only
time
where
we
big
picture
go
over
the
entire
budget
with
the
council,
so
they
can
get
the
full
perspective
before
they
have
individual
departments
presenting
each
of
their
pieces,
and
that
happens
the
following
week.
So
it's
a
very
busy
week
both
for
the
council
finance
department
and
our
departments
that
are
in
there
presenting
their
own
budgets
every
night
for
a
Tuesday,
Wednesday
Thursday
and
then
a
lot
of
cases
the
following
Tuesday
when
they
show
up
for
the
budget
wrap
up
so.
A
B
Are
online
we've
set
as
a
goal
which
we've
met
that
as
soon
as
these
documents
go
out
to
the
council
they're
available
for
the
public?
So
you
know
that
the
minute
more
or
less
that
they
are
sent
to
the
council.
We
also
post
them
out
on
our
website
and
there's
various
different
ways
to
get.
Those
are
pretty
prominently
displayed
on
the
finance
web.
A
B
You
know
if
you
look
at
nothing
else,
that's
that's
a
good
place
to
start.
It
does
really
hit.
The
highlights
of
you
know:
what's
new,
what's
changed,
what
are
some
of
the
things
creating
some
of
the
bigger
impact
on
the
budget
and
he
doesn't
cover
just
the
current
year.
We
also
look
forward
a
little
bit
because
we
are
doing
a
longer
term
planning,
especially
on
capital
improvements
and
talked
about.
B
B
B
Are
very
big
projects
that
are
going
to
renew
some
facilities
that
should
last
for
a
lot
of
years,
so
it's
a
pretty
big
impact
initially,
but
I.
You
know,
I
think
the
most
important
thing
is
that
we
implement
these
correctly
and
get
them
funded
and
will
certainly
get
that
done.
Otherwise
this
was
the
first
year
of
the
commercial
property
tax
reform
and
that
seems
to
be
going
pretty
well,
we
appear
to
have
had
a
lot
of
valuation
growth
and
aims.
B
A
You
want
more
information
about
budget
documents,
make
sure
to
check
out
our
website
at
city
of
ames
org.
You
can
find
those
under
the
finance
department.
Also
remember,
mark
your
calendar
trick
or
treating
their
names
will
be
held
on
friday,
October
thirty-first,
the
recommended
hours
are
5
30
to
7,
30
p.m.
and
also
remember,
yard
waste
free
days,
begin
October
25th
and
continue
into
November
and
end
this
year
on
Saturday
december
six,
you
can
find
more
information
on
yard
waste
three
days
at
our
website.